While it’s more like the Toyota of Android smartphones as opposed to the Cadillac, Canadians who want to take Google’s mobile OS for a spin should look no further than the Motorola QUENCH. Available today from Rogers, the QUENCH is simply T-Mobile CLIQ XT with an even more questionable name. Of course this means that all of its specs — 3.1″ capacitive HVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA and MOTOBLUR atop of Android 1.5 — are the same, and can be yours for as little as $49.99 on contract. Anyone biting? More →

Being the carrier that first brought Android to Canada, Rogers’ current Android line-up is extremely weak. Looking to change this, Rogers will soon be launching the Acer Liquid e and the Motorola QUENCH. Similar in that they both run Android, have 5 megapixel cameras, support 7.2Mbps 3G and have a candybar form, the two devices are quite different almost anywhere else you look. The Liquid e, which has Android 2.1, roars along with Snapdragon processor underclocked to 768MHz, while the QUENCH with Android 1.5 with MOTOBLUR chugs along with a MSM7200A that clocks in at 528MHz. When it comes to displays, the Liquid e’s 3.5″ WVGA screen handily trumps the 3.1″ HVGA affair found on the Motorola. Look for the Liquid e next month for $79.99 on contract, preceded by the QUENCH next week for $49.99. More →

A few days ago when we learned that Motorola is going to bring its complete line-up of MOTOBLUR handsets to Canada, we didn’t know which carrier was to be getting which handset. In the span of a couple days however, things have changed. We now know that the BACKFLIP, that crazy concoction of a device is going to be a TELUS exclusive while the DEXT is bound for Bell. As for the QUENCH, no one carrier has laid claim to it just yet, but we think most would forgive us for assuming it’s going to Rogers considering the others are spoken for. More →

Today at Mobile World Congress, Motorola announced the CLIQ XT with MOTOBLUR. Having nearly identical specs to the original CLIQ, it features a 3.1″ HVGA capacitive display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM tuner, e-compass, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and Android 1.5. Yeah, that probably sounds familiar. The big differences between them are that the CLIQ XT has an optical trackpad, lacks a QWERTY slider, supports Flash Lite and features “pinch and zoom” multitouch throughout the system. Besides that, than there’s really not much else to say other than we hope this isn’t all we’re going to see from Motorola because, well, talk about forgettable. The CLIQ XT with MOTOBLUR will be available from T-Mobile USA next month, while the Global version, QUENCH with MOTOBLUR, will be available in multiple regions by the end of this quarter. More →